Metalloid
by Sparky Sparkerson
Summary: Series of one-shots that take place after the "Rhinestone Eyes" video on Plastic Beach. Rated T juuust in case, although it won't have anything strong language wise or anything.
1. The First Steps

**(Author's comments – This is going to be a series of one shots that take place right after the "Rhinestone Eyes" video. By the way, a metalloid is an element (yes, like on the periodic table) that has qualities of metals and non-metals, like silicon.**

**I don't own Gorillaz in any way, shape or form, and that's probably a good thing.)**

In the middle of the ocean stood a hill of trash.

The inhabitants of this hill called it Plastic Beach. This had been the "home", for the lack of a better word to two members of the Gorillaz—and was now also the place of rest for the other two members. One of said members was sitting primly on the shore, her head directed on the water lapping at the grainy trash. She had a mask that obscured her face, hiding scars she received in her time away from the band. She had sat there since dawn, and the sun was beginning to dip down into the ocean. She heard footsteps behind her and whipped her head around quickly to discover the lanky, blue-haired 2D. This appeared to startle him, and he pulled his hands in front of his face, peering out from behind his fingers. "Oh, uh, sorry to disturb ya, Noods."

Noodle's posture relaxed, and she nodded in reply. She hadn't spoken since her appearance on the plastic shore, communicating through writing notes and hand motions. She patted the ground next to her, and 2D sat down in the indicated spot. "So, uh..." The singer was having a hard time picking the right words. "...are ya, uh, gonna be able to talk anytime soon, luv?"

Noodle shook her head, and began tracing some words in the plastic particles. **I'm not ready.**

"When will ya be, tho'? You've been here for almost...uh...somefink like a month. Not a peep out of ya in that time and we're gettin' worried." Noodle nodded in agreement. Ever since her return with Russel, 2D was following her like a worried mother hen, and Murdoc had been awkwardly keeping an eye on her from afar when he wasn't disassembling the robot made to look like her or drinking. Russel was the only one who knew even a little bit—he told 2D and Murdoc how he found her on his way to Plastic Beach, but that was as much information he had. Noodle pointed back to the same words.

"Wozzat supposed to mean? _We're_ ready! We've been ready ever since you popped outta Russ' mouf! We've been ready ever since you disappeared!"

Noodle looked away from 2D, and didn't write any more words in the ground. After a few silent moments, 2D sighed.

"It's jus'...we haven't seen you in years, Noods. The band collapsed with you gone. Russ went missin', Murdoc lost his freaking mind, and...I fink I lost it too."

Noodle had turned her head towards the ocean again, and watched as the final rays of sun melted into the water.

"I fink...I fink that me n' Russ jus' want to hear your voice again. Like if you saw a toy and ya got it for Christmas, and you didn't really think it was there unless you pressed that funny li'l button that made a kinda noise...okay, bad comparison," 2D admitted, at the masked head turned at him that he was certain hid a deadpan stare, "but... it's like we don't really know you're all the way there yet. You're real, for sure, but not the same Noodle we knew before..."

Noodle suddenly started scraping at the sand, teeth gritted, and when she was finished she jumped up and walked away, emotion shaking her still petite frame.

**I AM NOT THE SAME.**

* * *

><p>Underneath the building the Gorillaz now called home, there was a tiny alcove that was just big enough for someone to go inside. Noodle had been using this space ever since she had come to Plastic Beach to live in, with only her guitar and her mask. 2D and Russel had found it already and had put some heavy blankets and a mattress inside for the chilly island nights. She was certain Murdoc had found it, too, because she continued to find his (rejected) peace offerings of pocky that smelled distastefully like vodka and rum. Noodle thought it was nice that the alcove looked over the water directly so she could just talk to Russel when she needed to. 2D had left a big, slightly used drawing pad inside so she could communicate with them, which she found helpful when she didn't have any sand. She now sat in the dark hollow, watching the moon rise slowly up. She had taken her mask off revealing a heavy bruise on her right eye and some scars that had, to the rest of the band, an unknown origin. Dried tear stripes were visible from her eyes to her chin when she watched something emerge from the ocean.<p>

Russel came out of the water, head facing towards the moon, but he quickly turned around to face the alcove and dragged himself even closer, resting his arms on the junky rocks.

"Hey, Noodle. Everythin' okay?" Noodle shook her head vigorously and picked up her pad and marker. **We can't ever be the same.**

Silence fell over Russel for a minute. Then he sighed, making the fake palm trees bend. "I know, Noods. I know. You can't exactly have a gigantic drummer in a band, can you? And you? I dunno what's happened, exactly...but I can tell you've been dealin' with demons, and that's something you can't really forget and pretend it never happened." Russel waited patiently for her response, which was a tiny nod and rubbing her bruised eye.

"Well...I can't say everything will be fine, cus that'd be a lie," Russel began thoughtfully, "but I can say that we're all here to help you, Noodle. Me and 'D and Muds—yes, Noodle, him too." Noodle had glared skeptically at the last name. "In his own freakish way, he wants to help. I think." Noodle nodded again, rubbing both eyes now. Russel forced a smile. "Get some sleep, Noodle. It's gonna be another day...maybe the day we can all get off this stupid hunk of garbage." He began to sink back into the sea when he stopped and looked back to Noodle.

"Hey. I can tell you from experience that you'll get...better. Not perfectly, but close enough. Everything's changed, but that doesn't mean you have to sulk and fight the change. It's better to take it head-on. Night, Noods." He submerged himself in the water, leaving Noodle to her thoughts.

Russel was easy to believe. If anything, she could relate to him more then the rest of the band, since he had been possessed by lots of spirits. She wanted to believe him. She wanted to be better, for things to go back the way they were. She wanted to get rid of the horrifying images in her memories and replace them with good times with her bandmates. She crawled deeper into her alcove and grabbed her guitar, and starting playing a few chords. She bobbed her head for the words that she had nearly forgotten, then opened her mouth, struggling to use her voice. A creaking noise came out, impossible to listen to. She tried again, determined to make out some words.

2D was walking up to the building when he heard the music and the quiet, screechy noise. He tore up into the complex and slammed the door open to an almost certainly hung-over Murdoc.

"I...I fink she's tryin' to talk!"

Murdoc's previously out-of-focus eyes snapped over to 2D, and the two men ran outside to the cliff overhanging Noodle's alcove, listening for her voice.

She began the song again, and tried again...and again..._and again..._

The moon was almost on the other side of the sky, and 2D and Murdoc were about to give up and go back inside when she finally made a comprehensible noise.

_"Feel good."_

**(Next chapter will be funnier, I swear. I'm so not used to writing angst...ish...things.)**


	2. Why is the Rum Gone?

**(Author's note: I don't own Gorillaz, do I? *checks*  
>...nope. Or Pirates of the Caribbean, for that matter, which is more then likely a blessing to you all.)<strong>

It was a relatively calm day on Plastic Beach—which means that no one had been seriously injured yet.

Murdoc thought that this was going to change quite soon if he had to continue looking for his rum. The already foul-mooded bass player was exhausted, which only made his mood worse. He muttered curses under his breath as he opened every drawer and looked in every cranny. 2D and Noodle happened to walk into the recording studio when Murdoc was in the middle of tearing the dashboards apart. Understandably, 2D was rather taken aback.

"WOT ARE YA DOIN' MURDOC! THA'S IMPORTANT STU-"

He quickly stepped back and raised an arm in front of Noodle and another in front of his face as Murdoc stalked towards them.

"Where...is...my...RUM?"

2D blinked rapidly, processing the question in his mind a few times until he came to a definitive answer.

"...wot?"

Noodle came up with a better, if nonverbal response by pointing to the kitchen, then miming opening the fridge.

"Already LOOKED." Murdoc growled, emphasis on the last word as he got down on his knees and crawled around to search for his liquor. Noodle wisely grabbed 2D's wrist to drag him out of the situation quickly before Murdoc got violent, but they weren't fast enough to get away before Murdoc's head swung over in their direction. "Faceache...did you. Take. _My. Rum?_"

2D backed up quickly, and Noodle still held tight to his wrist in case they had to run.

"N-No, Muds, I wouldn' do that! I don' even like the stuff!" Murdoc made a grab for 2D's shirt collar, but Noodle had already taken off with skinny singer in tow, leaving Murdoc cussing up a storm as he chased after them.

"COME BACK 'ERE YA BLOODY THIEF!" Murdoc, however, was in much worse shape then Noodle, and was winded and even more exhausted than before after only two minutes of chasing. He collapsed in the middle of the hallway panting, vague swears coming out of his mouth every breath. After a while, he sat up, grinding his teeth. Faceache HAD to have taken his rum—who else! Noods didn't drink—at least, not to his knowledge. Murdoc put his chin on his palm, thinking of a way to catch 2D in the act. He pulled his elbow backwards to balance himself standing up, but hit his hand on the vent behind him, and was about to begin swearing again when he stopped, knelt down and shook the vent cover off. An evil grin spread across his face, and he let loose a slightly sinister laugh.

* * *

><p>2D was sitting on the couch, staring uninterestedly at the blank television set, as if waiting for it to turn itself on for him. He didn't notice that someone was observing him closely above.<p>

Murdoc had been crawling around in the ventilation system, trying to find 2D but without avail. He had finally discovered the singer where he was now...and it had to have been at least two hours since then. In that time, 2D had accomplished staring at the screen, scratching his stomach, staring at the screen, eating a dirty sucker and staring at the screen. Murdoc was bored out of his mind, but determined that he would confirm 2D as the culprit. 2D began picking at his nose absently, flicking what he found at the coffee table. Murdoc growled—that was _his _coffee table! What right did that stupid git have to be flinging his snot all over creation? 2D looked up, confused as to why the vent was growling, and Murdoc scooted backwards quickly to make sure he didn't see him. When he looked back, Noodle had joined 2D on the couch, mask obscuring half of her face—as was usual nowadays. "Wozzat, Noods?" 2D asked curiously. She must have spoken. Noodle had been re-learning how to speak for the past few days, and while her actual speech sounded fine, everyone had to be completely silent for when she spoke for a chance of hearing her. 2D was leaning his head close to Noodle's to listen closely. When he pulled back he shrugged, and when he spoke he sounded like he was trying to appear nonchalant. "Why should I care if he's missin' his rum? 'S not my problem."

_Git,_ Murdoc thought.

Noodle leaned over to 2D again and said something else.

"'S awright, Noods, he won' find out. It's almost done, tho', ya wanna see?" The two band members got up and began to head out, and a furious bass player followed them in the vents. Faceache _DID _take his rum! And now he was about to finish it! Murdoc began thinking of various, increasingly painful ways he was doing to torture 2D later as he crept along the airways. He reached the hallway around the same time as 2D and Noodle, with Noodle nodding and pointing the opposite way 2D was going. "Gonna get yours, then?" Noodle replied with a nod and went to the exit, presumably to her room. So! Noodle had taken some of his rum too! He knew she wasn't exactly on...GOOD terms with him at the moment, but she wouldn't take his precious rum, would she?

Since he couldn't follow Noodle to her room throught the vents, he continued with 2D. The singer went down the hallway and opened a door with the words "2D's Room" plastered on. Murdoc quickly followed, and peering down into the room.  
>It was dimly lit with a messy bed to the side, bits of trash here and there strewn around the floor. The familiar clown mask hung next to the bed, along with an odd picture. Murdoc squinted, trying to make out what it was, and was quite taken aback when he realized what it was. It was a crude drawing of the band by what looked like children's crayons—probably because it was. He recognized it as a drawing Noodle had done in the first year she lived with them, and 2D had kept it with him all this time. Murdoc couldn't decide whether this was creepy or not. He didn't see any rum bottles, but he guessed they were probably underneath the bed or something.<p>

2D walked in and began to pull things out from under the garbage piles. Murdoc watched with anticipation, cruelly excited for when he had evidence of the stolen rum.

What 2D had been looking for, however, appeared to be a photo album. He opened the book carefully, and Murdoc saw himself looking back in the pages, with a much younger smirk. Next to his freeze-framed self, 2D was reaching for the camera as if he wanted a turn using it, and Russel was in the background looking unimpressed. The present 2D gave a slightly disturbed chuckle. "M-Maybe...this'll help everythin'..."

The door opened again, and 2D looked behind him. Noodle walked in, holding more photos. 2D nodded and turned to blank pages to place them in the holders. Once placed, 2D shoved the album underneath the trash again. The singer smiled.

"Don' worry, Noods. Everythin'll be back to normal if we remind ol' Muds how it was before...before all this 'appened...it'll...be fine, right? Right, Noodle?" Noodle didn't answer, which 2D took as a yes. "Yeah...it'll be back to normal...or somefink...somefink better then this. We can all laugh together, like before." Noodle frowned, and left the room without an answer once more. 2D followed, a skip in his step.

Murdoc had listened silently to this, unsure of how to react.

"Bloody idiot...stupid...git," he said noncommittally, scratching his head.

He began shuffling out, looking for the exit.

* * *

><p>"Jus' tell us where ya are, Muds!" 2D pleaded.<p>

"**IF I KNEW WHERE I WAS I'D BE OUT OF THIS SODDING TUNNEL!" **

Murdoc was lost in the airways and as the sun went down, 2D and Noodle had been frantically searching for exitways for him to find, but to no avail. "'ow'd you get in there, anyways?" 2D asked confusedly.

"DOESN'T MATTER, STUPID! JUS' GET ME OUT!"

The ceiling was suddenly pulled off by Russel, who had been listening to Murdoc's distress with amusement. "Shut your face and stop screaming like a little girl. I'mma gonna get you out." He began shaking some of the walls and a loud THUNK and a curse was heard. "Found him." Russel shook the wall the noise was coming from, and out of the exit popped out a disgruntled, furious Satanist.

"THERE WASN'T ANY OTHER WAY TO GET ME OUT OTHER THEN SHAKIN' ME LIKE A RAGDOLL? BE MORE CAREFUL WITH ME! AND **WHERE THE BLOODY IS MY RUM?"**

Noodle facepalmed, 2D sighed, but Russel merely smirked and produced a case of rum bottles on his palm. Murdoc's mouth opened and closed a few times in shock and rage, but he quickly recovered and began jumping towards the out-of-reach rum, swearing up a storm and generally just looking like an idiot. Russel only raised his hand a little bit higher, entertained by the raging, hopping bassist. "What's the magic word, Muds?"

"GIVE! ME! MY! RUM!"

"Nope, that's not it. Try again."

"...**PLEASE!** GIVE! IT! TO! ME!"

"Sure, but only after you say it one more time—and in a dress."

Noodle grinned at Murdoc's frustration and obscenity filled angrish, and 2D was leaning on the wall, laughing til tears came out of his blacked-out eyes.

Maybe they could laugh together even now.

**(Forgive me if this was heavy even for a funny chapter. "You got angst in my comedy!" "You got comedy in my angst!"**

**Reviews are loved like Muds loves rum (just without the stalking). )**


	3. The Problem With Seagulls

**(Author's note: I don't own Gorillaz. Or any actual gorillas, for that matter.)**

Sunshine beamed down on the junky shores of Plastic Beach, causing Russel to raise his enormous hands to shield his eyes from the light. It was uncommonly hot, as the res of the band showed, with Murdoc showing way too much of his body on the rooftop trying to cool himself down while chugging down a bottle of rum, and 2D huddling under a craggy rock to keep in the shade. Noodle was in her little cave, fanning herself while scribbling in her notepad, looking up occasionally to scratch her face behind her mask. Russel didn't have an issue with the heat—all he had to do was dive down into the water and come back up to be cooled off. He did, however, have issues with the sun beaming down on his eyes and the water, blinding him from all directions. He growled his frustration and swam closer to the shady underbelly of Noodle's cave, sinking down far enough that only his head was visible above the water. Noodle poked her head down from the overhang and showed a big question mark on her notepad.

"I'm being blinded by this stupid bright sun and Murdoc's ugly backside."

Noodle decided she didn't want to know anything more and went back inside her cave. Russel muttered his annoyance at the crashing waters that were smacking his face at every opportunity. Suddenly, he heard a loud shrieking noise and jumped, just barely missing the ceiling of the overhang with his skull. He swam out, trying to find the source of the noise—it wasn't Noodle, she wasn't loud enough to make that kind of noise yet...

He felt something land on his head, and peered up with some difficulty, sun glowering down.

"Skrree?" the seagull asked, stomping its feet on Russel's head. Amused at first, the drummer swam out back into the water next to the shore to try to coax the bird off. The seagull was going to have none of that, and stood obstinately on his new reststop. Russel lost his amusement quickly, and flailed his arms around his head to get it off—it was an awfully persistent bird, however, and held its' ground. Indignantly, the seagull let out a loud "Skee!" and began pecking at its' perch.

"Ow! Get off, ya stupid featherhead!" Russel continued to unproductively wave his arms around his head, loudly splashing and shouting. 2D crawled out of the shadowing rock and stared, rather confused, at the flailing drummer. Murdoc only briefly looked up, then continued to ignore everything sulkily.

"Wos' going on, Russel?" 2D called out, squinting to see what was flying around Russel's head. Now several seagulls were crying out and gliding around Russel.

"Freaking birds won't leave me alone! Got a gun on ya, 'D?" 2D waved his hands in front of him negatively just as Noodle stomped out of her cave and ran next to 2D with a huge machine gun in her hands. "The heck, Nood-? !" 2D jumped two feet into the air when Noodle started shooting, aiming next to Russel's head to avoid hitting him. Murdoc responded to the rapid-fire with bolting up and shouting something along the lines of "WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! EVERY MAN FOR 'IMSELF! ABANDON ISLA-" before promptly tripping over his tanning chair with a thud—not that anyone else was noticing his drunken panic.

"Keep tryin', Noods, I think you got one!" Russel encouraged, even though it was obvious that not one seagull had been even grazed by the guitarist-turned-markswoman. 2D had gotten over his initial shock and was now just keeping himself at a safe distance from Noodle, pointing out helpful things like "You're missin', Noodle!" and "I don' fink this is working...". The gun ran out of bullets quickly, and Noodle, exasperated, sat down in defeat. The seagulls were now all standing on their victory—the shiny bald surface of Russel's head. "HOW DID YOU EVEN MISS?" Russel yelled in a rage. The birds flew off momentarily at the volume of the outburst, then returned back to their perch.

The two conscious bandmates stared at the predicament in front of them for several minutes, at a loss for what to try next. Noodle beckoned 2D closer and whispered in his ear. 2D nodded and called out, "Noods says you should try goin' underwater to get them off!" Russel took a gasp of air and sank down in the water, and the birds let go of their prize, bobbing up and down on the surface. It looked as if Noodle's idea had worked, but when Russel came above water, the rats-with-wings flew over to his head—one of which relieved itself, quite intentionally, on Russel's head.

Russel had enough.

He began flailing and splashing in the water in his frustration, causing the seagulls to start flying around in a tizzy. The newly created waves from this violent reaction rose up above 2D and Noodle, who started scampering in the other way as fast as they could. However, the roaring, foamy waves were much faster and swallowed the two up, leaving them on the shore with bits of plastic and various sealife on their persons. 2D looked in surprise at the flopping tuna in his arms, and a huge grin appeared on his face.

"'ey, Noods, lookit! I caught a fish!"

Noodle responded by spitting out some salty ocean water, staring as Russel continued his battle with the squawking seabirds.

* * *

><p>The violent, splashy, feathery war lasted from afternoon to around 6 at night. After the second hour, the rest of the band continued with their day, trying to ignore the huge amounts of squawking and colorful language. Now, the squawking and the cursing was silent. Before heading into the complex, Noodle looked under her cave to find Russel's head bobbing in the water, head covered in crap and looking more irritated before. She noticed with a grimace that there were several bloody remains and feathers covering the wall-that was going to stink later. She quietly wandered up to the building and into the kitchen, where 2D was making a poor attempt to cut up the tuna he "caught" for a stirfry. She tapped his shoulder lightly, and he stopped cutting. "So...who won? Di' those birds do it all over 'im?"<p>

Noodle picked up her notepad. **Russel. But I think the birds made sure he wouldn't forget about them.** 2D chuckled and started mutilating the fish again, but Noodle grabbed the knife out of his hand and started cutting it properly. She pointed upwards and said in a hoarse whisper, "Murdoc." 2D nodded and ran up the stairwell to the sundeck, calling for the bassist.

"Muds? Hey Muds, we're gonna 'ave dinner! An' I caught it! WheERGH!"

2D had found Murdoc, his puke-green and unattractive buttocks hanging out. "Well? Wot is it, faceache?" 2D, instead of answering this query, started rubbing at his eyes violently and making vague traumatized noises.

**(Brain bleach not included, sorry. :C**

**This is so short...I didn't have much time to write it, heh. Next chapter will be longer, hopefully.)**


End file.
